Pesto Power, is it Magic?

 A bit of a departure today. The doll project is coming along nicely, more on that next post. But it's summer. I want to talk about one of my favorite summer kitchen activities, making "Pesto Pucks". That's what I call them as they resemble green hockey pucks once made & frozen. My goal each summer is to make enough to have pesto every time I need it until the next summer. I made it this past year and if the current harvest schedule keeps up I'll surpass needed production this year by lots of pucks. I always give a fair amount away to worthy recipients. Family & friends who love to cook. Keep reading to the bottom to find out about the magic. You can just skip to it.I won't be offended.

The basic recipe I use is from an old copy of he "Moosewood Cookbook" a true classic by Molly Katzen I  have had for decades. The 40th anniversary issue is out.  Lots of markers & food stains in this one. A show of hands who has a copy of this? The fact that she infuses lots of her art into her books strikes a special cord with me.

I love the hand written recipes in the original & all her little drawings. Like all recipes I monkey with the ingredients and amounts. I don't use any parsley and I don't use as much oil. All oil no butter. Oh yeah, I use pine nuts I've pan roasted if I have them rather than almonds. Both work fine.

The smell of these as the get toasty is wonderful!

Cook's Illustrated had a review of Olive Oils awhile back. I've ditched the large bottle of generic oil for this I can get at our local Meijer which was rated at the top of the list.

I find smashing cloves of garlic very satisfying. Maybe there is a deeper meaning there somewhere.

Here is a funny thing about this process. Every time I am snipping leaves into the food processor and I come across a creature, slug, bug, anything moving, I am reminded of the movie "Medicine Man".

  

  Sean Connery with a pony tail. What's not to love? But I'm getting side tracked. In the course of the story where he is a researcher in the Amazon they discover a cure for cancer. Spoiler alert! Come to find out it's about the ants that were in the sugar they used in their solution with the plants they were sure held the key. Didn't get great reviews, but I liked it. Anyway, I have this wild suspicion that my pesto is magic and it has to do with the creatures that have resided in my pots of basil. Now you know how truly weird I can be.

Visions of Betsy McCall

 I've decided to spend time creating an entry for the JRAC (Jordan River Arts Council) fall Rare Threads exhibit. The theme of ancestral inspirations struck a cord. I have a stash of lovely handkerchiefs that belonged to the matriarchs of my family. The idea started as fabric trays of black linen that would have pieces of the textiles attached with french knots. In my usual fashion this has morphed into something completely different.

The fabric tray thing was much to boring, blah, unimaginative. I guess it was just a jumping off point for other ideas. A large paper doll with my mothers face began to emerge. I spent quite awhile yesterday finding the right facial image. Then I worked on the proportions for the doll. Had a little help from Pinterest as I have a board of all sorts of art dolls. The black linen will be the body of her dress. A mock up of the skirt will be next so I can figure out the layers and volume. There will probably be wire stitched into the skirt so it can be very 3D. Does anyone else remember cutting & playing with Betsy McCall paper dolls?

These fine ladies helped me come up with the body. It will be hand painted fabric sewn to pelon. I'll copy the face onto fabric as well after I alter it a bit in Photoshop. The joints will be hinged with small white pearl buttons. But don't hold me to that.

A plug for some of my current favorites in supplies. Rotary cutters weren't part of my arsenal until recently. Wow are they nice! The metal triangle was on the supply list for PBI & I love it! So flat, nice markings, just the right size for most jobs where a 90 degree angle is imperative. The protractor is an oldie but goodie. Angles are always tough to duplicate, but I've learned to use the right tool.

Today a parting shot from a little walk I took last week down the alley from work. Who doesn't love a tree house? This one caught my eye. It's a classic. It screams summer to me. I love the boards at different angles. Too bad it's an old stump & not a living tree it's attached to.

Tid Bits Abstractions & Summer

Good Summer Morning Everyone!  The weather & the vibes in & around Traverse City have been pretty good lately. Just a few little artsy things to share for a week end send off.

 I'll be on the Boardman River this week end with 12 work mates for a retirement party for a gal a couple months younger than myself. I may be next. I'm finding the retirement decision a tough one. Anyone else?

But on to artistic musings.

Latest ATC swap. Here was my offering I sent out before PBI. Little abstractions.

 Just finished another art journal cover. Ready to fill up with ideas sketches & mental meanderings.

 

Found a great tutorial on getting the cover off this very book I use. Made the painting of the cover MUCH easier. I love sewing fabric to the front & back covers. So that was lots easier with the covers off as well.

 Finishing up a couple more of the fabric "pods" I started awhile ago. I love them but need to move on to some book & fabric structure ideas that have been banging around in my head. Ouch.

                     
Would love to hear how your summer is shaping up. What creative endeavors have caught your fancy?